WELSHPOOL

WELSHPOOL & DISTRICT PRIMARY SCHOOL

Homework Policy

Rationale

Homework helps students by complementing and reinforcing classroom learning, fostering good lifelong learning and study habits, and providing an opportunity for students to be responsible for their own learning.

This policy has been developed using data obtained through a survey of parents and current practice and is consistent with the DEET Homework Guidelines.

Guidelines

Homework will have its origins in the classroom and endeavour to establish and develop in students organisational and time-management skills, self discipline, skills in using out-of-school resources and personal responsibility for learning.

The parents’ role is to:

Show encouragement and interest:
Help balance homework with leisure time;
Help with time management;
Sign the homework where appropriate.

The teacher’s role is to:

§ Set regular home work to help students establish a home study routine;

§ Assess homework and provide feedback and support;

§ Monitor the completion of homework and notify parents where appropriate;

§ Advise parents of homework expectations at the beginning of the school year

The student’s role is to:

Accept responsibility for the completion of homework to the best of their ability;
Seek assistance from their family and/or class teacher if necessary.

Implementation

The times below are based on data obtained from a parental survey of preferred times. It is also recognised that there are some weeks where homework may not be set due to other commitments, for example camps, or weeks where there is a significant number of other school events.

In the Early Years (Prep to Year 2), homework will:

Generally average around 10 minutes a day (Prep to Year 1) and 10 – 20 minutes a day (Year 2);
Mainly consist of daily reading to, with, and by parents/caregivers or older siblings;
Enable the extension of class work by practising skills or gathering extra information or materials.

In the Early Years (Years 3 and 4), homework will:

Generally average around 20-30 minutes a day;
Include daily independent reading monitored by teachers;
Enable the extension of class work by practising skills or gathering extra information or materials.

In the Middle Years (Years 5 and 6), homework will:

Generally average around 30 – 45 minutes a day;
Include daily independent reading;
Include extension of class work, projects and assignments, essays and research;
Enhance communication by the use of homework diaries.

Types of homework

Homework should:

Be appropriate to the student's skill level and age;

Be interesting, challenging and, where appropriate, open ended;
Be purposeful, meaningful and relevant to the curriculum;
Be assessed by teachers with feedback and support provided;
Be balanced with a range of recreational, family and cultural activities.

Students with different abilities will complete different amounts of work. Students are expected to spend the same amount of time doing homework.

Evaluation

This policy will be evaluated annually by all staff. A full review will be undertaken in 2003.